Peterborough United fans should ignore nonsense online about administration plus debts and shut out the noise from the minority

Co-owner MacAnthony spent Thursday (December 8) meeting with fans’ groups to try and put to bed rumours of financial problems and the possibility of the club entering administration that have appeared on an online fans forum.

MacAnthony has strenuously denied the allegations that he has described as “damaging” and “salacious” and has forwarded them to his lawyers to assess.

He has also made a U-turn on his decision to quit the club in the summer and is now fully focused on helping the club move forward and now wants to shut out the noise from a minority of fans.

"We need to start drowning the noise out- the three/four percent aren’t as important,” MacAnthony stated. “Every club has debt, it’s nothing that isn’t insurmountable. We’re going to sort a lot of that out in January and through the next three windows and that doesn’t mean a fire sale.

"I always said that there would financial armageddon and repercussions that would last for two or three years and we’re seeing that.

"The problem is that around 95 percent are behind the club and know the ownership has its best interests at heart but five percent will stir the pot. I will answer any genuine concerns when they are asked but I feel that since Covid, the majority have become the minority.

“We pay a lot more attention to the three of four percent in the world and that’s where half of the issues come from. We need to start drowning that noise out; the three/four percent aren’t as important.”

MacAnthony has rubbished rumours that the club is in as much as £20 million of debt and estimated the figure closer to £8-9 million; a figure he insists is normal for football clubs, with many being in a much worse situation.

Fellow Co-owner Dr Jason Neale has also spoken with the Peterborough Telegraph recently about the positive steps the club has taken to reduce the levels of debt.

He assured fans that the next set of club accounts would show a profit and blamed rumours on parties interested in buying the club trying to deflate its value.

MacAnthony will now focus on reducing the club’s debt but called any suggestion the club are on the brink financially nonsense.

He added: “When people write nonsense online about administration and bills not being paid- all of it is untrue.

“I’ve been here 17 years, it’s not always been perfect but we do a pretty good job. We don’t have debt of £15-£20m. It’s less than £8-9m and that’s ok for a football club; there are clubs a lot worse off than us.

“I said in the summer, in the next couple of years I’d definitely like to reduce that as quickly as possible because you want to be a healthier run football club.

“You can’t be self-sustainable or healthy when you’re carrying debts/ loans with interest rates and they’re all the things that I am addressing right now.

“Don’t believe everything you read on social media and forum boards. People do have agenda; I get people don’t like me but don’t be malicious with your intent and don’t believe everyone who comes from left field that pops up as a new ‘Posh fan’ and starts posting stuff because it’s not true.

“The only thing us owners are concerned about is making sure the football club is fit and healthy. Could it be healthier and fitter?- like 90 percent of clubs- Of course, but we’ll get there.”